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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. file — a document
  3. court — for sport
  4. ball — a dance
  5. scale — size or range
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rule — a law
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. court — of law
  12. file — a tool
  13. rule — government
  14. scale — in music
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. net — for catching
  17. toast — bread
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. court — of a king
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. file — a line of people
  22. net — after costs
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rule — to rule out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com